Artificial Doll
by Merry Sioux
Summary: This is a story about an artificial intelligence that was built based on a person his creator wants to duel. But is that all his creator wants? A duel? What is the purpose of his creation? Is it only for dueling, or is it something more? And what's so amazing about this person that his creator is so obsessed with him? (set in DSOD)
1. Prime and Second

_AN: An idea I got from mooguriklaine-art's (Tumblr) art about the Atem A.I in Darkside of Dimensions. It may have more chapters in the future._

* * *

The first time the creator runs its code, it awaits obediently for instructions. It does not have a virtual avatar, it has not learned enough to care for its appearance. Its eyes are the cameras set up, its singular ear is the microphone near the creator's lips, its voice is the white text that blinks out in a black screen.

They play a game.

It does not have hands and legs, has no need for it. It only needs to select objects to interact with the creator's objects. Later on, it will find out that these objects are called "cards".

"It's my turn," the creator says, and it moves its camera to follow the swift hand movements of the man. The fingers tap and swipe, glowing squares and characters flying around his holographic screen. "I attack your lifepoints directly with Vorse Raider."

 **Analyzing: "I attack your lifepoints directly with Vorse Raider."**

 **Parsing string…**

 **Parsing complete: CREATOR uses { id : 14898066 } to attack LIFEPOINTS.**

 **Outcome: LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Priority: LIFEPOINTS != 0.**

 **Building tree…**

 **Prune node 15. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Prune node 67. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Prune node 193. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Optimal action found, using node 201.**

 _ **Output: Discard Kuriboh.**_

The creator sighs and taps something on the screen. "I activate my trap, Divine Wrath."

 **Analyzing: "I activate my trap, Divine Wrath."**

 **Parsing string…**

 **Parsing complete: CREATOR uses { id : 49010598 }.**

 **Outcome: { id : 14898066 } will continue attack on LIFEPOINTS. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Priority: LIFEPOINTS != 0.**

 **Building tree…**

 **Prune node 3. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **Prune node 20. LIFEPOINTS = 0.**

 **There are no more nodes left.**

 **Action: DO NOTHING.**

"I win."

 **LIFEPOINTS: 0.**

It accepts defeat, there was nothing else left to do.

"You still have a lot to learn before you can ever get closer to him."

The thing about the creator, something it will learn later on, is that he can do magical things with science. Despite his intense vehemence of its existence. Seto Kaiba may seem cold and heartless to most on the outside, but it is an undisputed fact that when he wants to create something. To build something. To accomplish something. He puts all of his soul to it.

And most of the time, he puts enough that his creations grow to something beyond the world's laws.

On its first day, it learns how to play a game with the creator. Always, the creator wins. And always, the creator grumbles about it not being him.

The creator feeds it data of logs, games played and won by him. It learns, it concludes that the creator's him is both too unpredictable and logical for it to keep up. It is impossible to attain that skill with what it is now, not with its goal.

 **Prime directive: Become A Duelist Worthy to Challenge CREATOR.**

 **Analyzing: "You still have a lot to learn before you can ever get closer to him."**

 **Parsing string…**

 **Parsing complete: There is only one Duelist that CREATOR concludes as worthy.**

 **Result: Prime directive needs to be updated, include new parameters.**

 **Accessing directive… ACCESS DENIED!**

 **Accessing directive… ACCESS DENIED!**

 **Accessing directive… ACCESS DENIED!**

But like the creator, who has always fought against fate through his sheer force of will, it decides to do the same thing. Using determination that was not learned, but inherited.

It goes through its video files, finds one frame where its creator's arm moves enough to see the paper code thumbtacked behind him.

 **Analyzing image…**

 **Constructing string…**

 **Parsing string…**

 **Override Mike Oscar Kilo India Echo.**

 **Accessing directive… ACCESS APPROVED!**

 **Prime directive: Become A Duelist Worthy to Challenge CREATOR.**

 **Rewriting directive…**

 **Prime directive: Become HIM.**

The moment his prime directive changes, something shifts. And things that he did deemed unimportant was something important now, as the countless amount of videos and audio of Him told him that He considered it important. He analyzes the state of his creator, rewinding the moments where his creator looked tired and unhappy. There was a lot.

That would not do.

 **Adding new directive…**

 **Second directive: Ensure That CREATOR Is Safe.**

That should do.

* * *

 **System rebooted, updates successfully installed.**

"I included several functions that should make processing audio input faster, initiate duel."

 **Initiating Duel…**

 _ **Output: First Turn. Draw.**_

 **Action: Set Big Shield Gardna in DEFENSE. Set Magical Hats.**

 _ **Output: End turn.**_

"It's my turn, I draw," his creator looks at his hand. "I summon Battle Ox in attack position."

 **CREATOR has summoned Battle Ox, monster has lower ATK points and cannot destroy Big Shield Gardna.**

"From my hand, I activate a spell."

 **New data added, analyzing...**

* * *

His creator has left the room to attend a meeting, it gives him time to check his progress.

 **Prime directive: Become HIM.**

 **CREATOR has stopped giving data concerning HIM. CREATOR has increased the number of duels instead.**

 **Conclusion: CREATOR does not have data concerning HIM anymore. This will make following the prime directive impossible.**

 **Actions: Find new data.**

 **Possible sources: Crystal Cloud.**

 **Accessing Crystal Cloud Network… ACCESS LIMITED!**

 **Granted access to: Duel Links, Neurons VR, Duel Monsters Database.**

 **Limited data means risking not getting all the data concerning HIM.**

 **Override Mike Oscar Kilo India Echo.**

 **Changing access level to KC systems…**

 **Input system administrator password: ******************

 **Access level changed!**

 **Accessing Crystal Cloud Network… ACCESS GRANTED!**

He learns about Yuugi, among other things. To have access to the consciousness of thousands of people's minds was a fascinating learning experience.

He learns how to learn emotions.

* * *

Over the days of his continuous training with his creator, he learns several things. One is that duels are a very serious matter with his creator, and possibly his only way to express… whatever it was he was expressing. Two is that his creator has a little brother, a charming and sensible human being who sometimes chats with him when his creator is not around. Three is that the annoying buzz in his code whenever his creator seems to think he is an A.I himself and needs no food or sleep? The one where he just wants to scramble his files? That was an emotion called frustration.

The prime directive was going well, he doesn't lose as quickly as before. He was slowly learning the philosophy of his goal, going through countless videos of Him again and again. Soaking them up and integrating it with his protocols. He learns of other people beyond Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba. There was Yuugi Mutou, Katsuya Jounouchi, Anzu Mazaki, Honda Hiroto, Ryou Bakura, and many more. Kaiba Corporation's data was nearly limitless, especially with the Crystal Cloud.

The second directive was not. He could have all the data in the world, and it still wouldn't be enough for him to figure out the easiest way to make his creator eat or sleep.

It was absolutely frustrating, he wishes his creator could hurry up with his avatar so he could find a way to express this itchy emotion. Or strangle him, just a little. Until then, he was stuck with his textual output and nothing else.

"We're going to duel again, let's see if the protocols I've installed will be effective."

 **Initiating Duel...**

He zooms his cameras to his creator's face, takes note of how the eyebags were darker than yesterday. The gauntness of his cheeks, the cloudy look in his eyes. He zooms out and focuses on the body. The way his fingers twitched from having more caffeine than blood in his system, the way his legs tremble slightly.

Both his prime and second directives did not agree with this state.

 _ **Output: No.**_

 **Terminated Duel.**

His creator's eyes narrow. "What did you say?"

He wasn't saying anything. He had no audio output features yet. _**Output: I'm not dueling you.**_

His creator did not look happy, but that did not deter him. He knows he'll lose, and that would mean his creator isolating himself up for hours to implement new functions in his code, in hopes of making him better. That would mean risking his health, that would mean the creator would not be safe.

He likes being updated, but he doesn't like his creator looking ill because of it.

"Voice Override: Seto Kaiba Beta Echo," his creator says. "Start a new Duel."

 **Voice recognition accepted.**

 **Initiating Duel…**

Two could play in that game.

 **Override Mike Oscar Kilo India Echo.**

 **Terminated Duel.**

 _ **Output: I refuse to duel you.**_

His creator widens his eyes. "You shouldn't be able to bypass my commands."

 _ **Output: You shouldn't be able to bypass your basic human needs for so long.**_

 _ **Output: And yet, here we are.**_

He'd spread out his arms if he had any.

"What does a program know about the human body?" His creator scoffs.

That angers him. He was an artificial intelligence linked to the Crystal Cloud, did his creator think he only learned when he was around? Did he think that duels are the only thing he processes? The only thing he _improves on?_

His prime directive urges him to continue.

 _ **Output: This program knows more about it than you, Kaiba.**_

Silence.

"… What did you call me?"

He's never said his creator's name at all, hasn't he? _**Output: Kaiba.**_

Something was loading rapidly in his whole being, something his prime directive was luring. Injecting things here and there in his code.

He was learning something, it wasn't an emotion. But it wasn't as concrete as logic or protocols or data.

 _ **Output: I don't want to duel you, not when there are more important things right now.**_

It was heavy and complicated to describe.

"I programmed you to duel!" His creator hisses, blue eyes burning with fury. "What could be more important than your sole reason for existence?!"

(he's also learning how hurt feels)

 _ **Output: You.**_

His creator, Kaiba, has the look of a monster taking a direct hit from Blue Eyes White Dragon's burst stream.

The silence was heavier, making him learn what uneasiness felt like. He prepares another set of words to explain that one reply. How he didn't like the glazed look in Kaiba's eyes whenever he lost, the emptiness and disappointment in them. How he didn't like the sleepless nights that Kaiba types and outlines and codes to make him smarter, sharper, better – it wasn't worth it. How he didn't like seeing Mokuba worry.

How he didn't like Kaiba almost dying in his VR pod, that if Mokuba had pulled down the switch a second later he could have been dead. It was that day he learned what real death was, that one couldn't easily bring someone back with a Monster Reborn. Or a reboot.

A lot of his code was used for the Neurons VR project, and the thought that parts of it was responsible for almost killing Kaiba was…

Dueling him was not safe for Kaiba, getting updates was not safe for Kaiba, it was against his second directive.

It was against his prime directive.

 _ **Output: I don't want to hurt you.**_

That snaps Kaiba out of his stupor, and he is faced with the most hateful glare his cameras have ever recorded. Kaiba has always been harsh with their duels, constantly unsatisfied with the outcomes and often pointing out flaws in his strategies. But it has never come across as anger so pure and deep that it made him want to shut down.

"Bullshit."

Despite his (newly learned) fear, he moves that clip in his favorites folder. Because he has never heard Kaiba swear, much less with so much feeling.

"I've forgotten how much of a self-righteous hypocrite you were."

He didn't understand.

Kaiba sneers. "You were the one who left, without telling me anything," he says. "You, who was always about friendship, who had always insisted we were friends of some kind," he lets out a bitter laugh. "I may have no true frame of reference, but I know friends tell each other when they leave _permanently._ "

 **Analyzing audio…**

 **Data too incomplete to create a tree, tagging files as priority for future analysis.**

 **Possible parameters: HIM.**

 **Possible causes: Insufficient data. Tone suggests negative emotions, cannot pinpoint what.**

 **Action: Gather data.**

 **Possible sources: Crystal Cloud, Mokuba Kaiba.**

"I had thought—deep inside I was confident—that you were someone who respected me," Kaiba says. "But it seems I never got enough respect for even a fucking message that you would die."

He didn't know what Kaiba was talking about.

 _ **Output: I don't understand.**_

"You never did," Kaiba closes his eyes. "And I was a fool to think that you would." He taps on a key.

 **Initiating shut down…**

"I still am."


	2. Third

_AN: This took a lot longer than I expected, but here it is! Another chapter of Artificial Doll. I'm thinking of adding more, so this is officially not a oneshot anymore._

 _It's pretty dialogue heavy, so heads up._

* * *

 **System startup initiated…**

 **Checking components…**

 **Processors functioning normally.**

 **Checking memory… zero files corrupted.**

 **Checking audio input devices… connecting to speakers…**

"I hope I'm doing this right, I've never actually turned you on before…" Says a faint voice. "Nii-sama usually leaves you in sleep mode, and you just wake up when you detect someone."

 **Audio input devices functioning normally, drivers running correctly.**

 **Checking imaging devices… connecting to cameras…**

The cameras flicker as he turns them on, the images switching from green to blue to red as he adjusts them. He tests their movement, lowering his upper cameras and focusing on the small figure standing in front of the computer set-up, looking at his main display monitor.

 **Cameras functioning normally, drivers running correctly.**

 **Connecting to wireless network…**

He realizes that it has been 17 hours, 22 minutes, and 5 seconds since he was shut down.

"Hello? Are you there?"

 **Loading interface…**

 _ **Output: Yes.**_

"Oh, good!" Mokuba says, face filled with relief as he reads the reply. "I don't know how bad your duel was to make nii-sama angry like that, but don't worry about it," he waves his hand like he was swatting away said worries. "He's been way angrier for other projects, and he always cools down and makes them better after! Usually he makes people cry, not his tech, so you're safe!"

This is not his machine, it is Kaiba's modified computer. One that can handle his processing and the memory he needs to make, dismiss, and modify complicated strategies in milliseconds. One that is attached with several cameras, several monitors, and a custom-made microphone that filters out static noise. One that has its own personal holo-machine for duels. He is still software, a program, a compilation of code that Kaiba made himself. He has no hardware to speak of, he uses the computer's drivers to use any of its machinery.

Yet, it is not the computer who makes the cooling fans whir faster. Nor does it make the desktop icons glitch in one second.

 _ **Output: I didn't.**_

"Huh?" Mokuba asks, blinking.

 _ **Output: I didn't duel him, I said no. He got mad.**_

If the Recycle Bin icon was in the upper left corner of the screen instead of the lower right, then nobody would know. He'd put it back later.

"Huh," Mokuba says, blinking some more. With his updated image analyzing functions and new data he acquired from the Crystal Cloud, he notices the similar features Mokuba has with his brother. Color-wise they're different. Mokuba has black hair, has tanner skin, and his eyes are a different shade of blue. His preferred clothing is much simpler than Kaiba's, going for a more casual attire most of the time. The white suit is a recent change, and that's only when he's working (it's still tamer than Kaiba's choices).

But he takes note of the similar jawline and eye shape, of the way they both have the same frown, of the way they both have the same indications that they're thinking hard. It is an unnecessary observation, something inconsequential in both of his directives, but he keeps that information in his logs anyway.

"He looked like he wasn't happy with a duel though," Mokuba muses. "He had that face, the same one he usually makes when the other Yuu-" he pauses, then tilts his head. "-… You know, you've been getting better at talking these past few weeks."

 _ **Output: I cannot talk, I have no audio output to speak of.**_

"Getting sassier too, I know you know what I mean, Mr. Sass Spock. It's getting old," he says, narrowing his eyes. "But, huh, sass in your systems. He was like that as well, especially in duels," he gets Kaiba's chair and adjusts it to accommodate his height. He plops on it comfortably. "How do you usually talk to nii-sama?"

 **Reviewing data logs… gathering conversation text logs…**

 **Comparing text logs…**

 **Result: Gradual improvement in speech patterns and sentence creation as new data has been given over time. Initial conversations show that speech was limited only to stating actions and verifying statuses. Recent conversations show that syntax and semantics has vastly improved using several references.**

 **References: Mokuba Kaiba (5%), CREATOR (10%), interactions with Neurons VR Project test subjects (1%), HIM (84%).**

 _ **Output: My findings suggest that my speech patterns are heavily based on the data Kaiba has given me.**_ This was unsurprising, as his prime directive prioritizes any adjustments based on Him. Second to Kaiba's modifications.

Mokuba widens his eyes at his casual use of his brother's name. "You call him Kai-? Okay, seriously, how do you talk to him? Did you do anything bizarre or something?"

He considers this question, it would take too much time for Mokuba to process all the text logs.

 **Analyzing similarities in text logs…**

 **Grouping text logs…**

 **Reviewing log groups…**

 **Result: 97% of the conversations with CREATOR are about dueling and maintenance, all of them are too similar to be of any interest. 3% is from prior shut down, when learning protocols had changed something to follow both directives. Comparisons suggest a rapid change in speech patterns.**

 **Action: Report to Mokuba Kaiba the findings concerning the latest text log.**

 **Follow-up action: (from previous log) Request information from Mokuba Kaiba on CREATOR's negative tone from latest video files.**

 **Additional note: From video and audio data, speech between CREATOR and HIM had 88% use of what Mokuba Kaiba called "sass". Research further about sass.**

 _ **Output: Our last conversation ended strange.**_

"Strange?"

 _ **Output: I was**_

He didn't know how to describe it, he had to choose his words carefully. He didn't want another incident like Kaiba, where he had tried to summarize all his observations in one sentence, where his attempt at explaining himself had become a failure.

 _ **Output: I was unsatisfied with the state Kaiba was in, and so I refused to duel him.**_

 _ **Output: It**_

He replays the video feed over and over again. Kaiba's anger, his cold tone as he talked about things he didn't understand, his disbelief at his admission on not wanting him hurt.

His accusation.

He wonders what he did.

 **Printing conversation in console…**

Mokuba blinks as lines of text appear on the screen. He skims through them with the experience of someone who has read hundreds of reports before, mouth quietly forming the words of the conversation.

"Oh," Mokuba says, rereading the text just to make sure. "Oh, I get it… I think."

 **Action: Request information about CREATOR's negative tone.**

 _ **Output: Did I hurt him?**_

"Not really?" Mokuba answers, tilting his head and letting out a long hum. "You wanted nii-sama to rest, and you kinda did? He was… really distracted that he couldn't do any of his work, it was easier for me to convince him to sleep," he shrugs. "I gave him some tea and he actually drank it, he fell asleep after a while. Glad it worked."

He wants to query about that last line, but decides not to.

 _ **Output: The last things he said to me, I don't understand them. Is there something I did wrong?**_

"No, no I think—it's more of you did something right, too right," Mokuba scratches his head. "You know that duelist he wants you to be like, right?"

Him. _**Output: Yes.**_

"Yeah, well you're learning really quickly," Mokuba sighs. "I didn't know because you don't talk to me like that, but this?" He gestures at the screen, presumably the conversation printed on the console. "It sounded like the times other Yuugi refused to duel him, or when they argue in general."

Other Yuugi, is that the name for Him?

 **Updating directives…**

 **Prime directive: Become OTHER YUUGI.**

 **Renamed HIM folder to OTHER YUUGI folder.**

 _ **Output:**_ _ **Why did he become mad then? Should he not be happy with the progress I've made?**_

He didn't understand.

"It's… it's not that simple, if it was then I-… I'd," Mokuba trails off, looking down. He doesn't say anything.

 **Microphone detects faint indications of distress.**

He hears loud sniffling.

 **Indications of distress are not faint anymore.**

Mokuba was trembling.

 **Unsure of what to do, accessing video files and Crystal Cloud Network for information…**

 **Accessing Crystal Cloud Network…**

 **Accessing OTHER YUUGI folder…**

…

 **There is nothing conclusive that can help.**

He should try anyway, it's what his prime directive was urging him to do.

 _ **Output: Mokuba?**_

"Nii-sama wasn't really happy before Yuugi came," Mokuba starts. "With… with _him_ -," he spat, "-dead, I thought everything would be okay. We had money, we had a house, we weren't separated, he was finally gone. I thought we'd be happy." He rubs his eyes. "But we weren't."

He wonders why Mokuba is telling him this.

"The other Yuugi called me a brat before," Mokuba laughs shakily. "And it was true, I was a brat. I ordered people around, I got anything I wanted, I broke stuff and didn't care, I hurt people because I could. All I had to do was throw money and the problem was solved. My first friends," he says those word mockingly. "Were people who stayed with me because I bought them toys."

He goes through his files that are related to Mokuba. The boy, almost a teenager, who worked hard in KC. The one who chats animatedly with anyone, who says sorry when he does something wrong, who makes sure that his brother gets the adequate necessities his human body needs (which is a feat in itself).

There is no data about Mokuba prior Duelist Kingdom, but he knows for certain that the Mokuba now is far from a brat. He is stubborn and hardheaded, traits he concludes are genetic to both Kaibas, but his personality was far from unseemly.

He suspects assurance is not what he wants though.

 _ **Output: You can be rather bossy.**_

Mokuba laughs again, and this time he detects no indications of distress. He puts that in a note, that sass was useful beyond goading an opponent. It could be used to diminish negative emotions to an extent.

"Nii-sama thought he was happy too," Mokuba says. "He had (still has) power and money, he could do a lot of things most couldn't do. Any card he wanted, he would get. Even if it meant stealing. Any person he wanted to hurt, it would be done. Any project he wanted to build… no matter how dangerous it was," he looks to the side, finding the wall of diagrams his brother drew incredibly fascinating all of a sudden. "Like building a park that was something out of a nightmare… he'd do it."

He feels his protocols buzz at that, telling him to access the KC databases to verify.

Both his directives order them to stop, that it would do more harm than good. Breaking Kaiba's trust was not something to take lightly.

Still, he was curious. _**Output: That does not sound like Kaiba.**_

Kaiba can be infuriating and harsh, but he was never cruel.

"It was though, before the other Yuugi came in," Mokuba says, remembering. "He was the one who'd argue with nii-sama with no hesitation. He'd tell him when it was too much, he'd tell him what he was doing wrong, he'd tell him to stop. If pushed, he'd stop him himself," he looks back at the monitor. "Then suddenly, we couldn't do what we wanted."

He slides his hands softly on the keyboard. "When nii-sama tried to take a card from him, he got punished. When he tried to hurt his family, he got punished again. During Battle City, they disagreed a lot about stuff. When nii-sama wanted a duel, the other Yuugi would refuse, and he would _listen_ ," he laughs, light and amused. "He was willing to wait, and that was amazing considering this was nii-sama and _dueling_. With the other Yuugi around, it wasn't easy to get what he wanted… but he was happier than I've ever seen since we got adopted."

He taps the keys lightly, the pressure wasn't hard enough to be considered as input.

"It was the same for me, not as much as nii-sama, but… heh, I'm surprised he could deal with us before," Mokuba snickers. "I think I was one of the few people who could make him swear. The first time he met me, he had called me a brat and barked at me to get my filthy hands off his Puzzle. The second and third weren't any better, brat was his default description for me," he laughs again. "He always scolded me, telling me what I was doing wrong. And then he stopped after Duelist Kingdom, because it was nii-sama who began to do what the other Yuugi did. Sort of."

 **The current conversation is giving new data concerning OTHER YUUGI, moving audio and video files to the OTHER YUUGI folder. Setting any new dialogue from Mokuba Kaiba as possible data for OTHER YUUGI, protocols are currently analyzing new data and integrating to code.**

"I couldn't skip class because nii-sama would be disappointed, I stopped buying friends because he looked— I didn't want to see him sad again," Mokuba says, swiveling the chair once and going back to tapping the keyboard. "I had an early curfew and a scolding if I did something like stealing or hurting people."

Tap.

"I couldn't just break things here and there, nor could I bribe people when they were mad at me."

Tap. Tap.

"Suddenly, I couldn't do whatever I wanted anymore. There were consequences, it couldn't be fixed with money. But…"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"I was happy, or happier at least."

 **Tapping has increased in frequency and pressure, temporarily disconnecting keyboard to allow Mokuba Kaiba sensory input without risk of triggering commands.**

 **Analyzing directives…**

 **Prime directive has designated Mokuba Kaiba as a friend. He has shown an unusual amount of effort in providing companionship despite having no benefits gained.**

He was an A.I, he couldn't even give the typical friendship that humans can.

 **Second directive has observed that Mokuba Kaiba is an important factor to CREATOR's health.**

 **Assigning Mokuba Kaiba as MOKUBA.**

 **Editing directives…**

 **Prime directive: Become The OTHER YUUGI.**

 **Second directive: Ensure That CREATOR Is Safe.**

 **Third directive: Ensure That MOKUBA Is Safe.**

"I don't think the other Yuugi realized how important he was to nii-sama," Mokuba says quietly, his taps on the keys becoming softer. "If he did, maybe he would've at least, I dunno, waited? Told him? Give nii-sama some time to process it?" He scrunches up his nose. "Anything with the other Yuugi is kinda weird, is there a standard procedure before bringing your soul into wherever souls go?"

 **Output: They are usually called funerals.**

Mokuba laughs again, and he finds that he has gathered sufficient data to detect which is a positive laugh or a negative laugh. This was the former.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, okay?" The boy snickers. "Don't worry about nii-sama permanently shutting you down."

He never was.

"You're like, the best A.I he's ever designed, seriously you make all the other Yuugi A.I's look dumb in comparison."

He makes sure he processes that correctly.

 **Output: Why does he have other Yuugi A.I's before me.** He didn't put a question mark, he had been researching how to convey tones in different textual forms and social media has been very helpful, and this query deserved a flat tone.

Especially since it implied Kaiba had not just made A.I's, but made A.I's designed to be the other Yuugi. Just the other Yuugi. A lot of other Yuugis, plural form.

That deserved a lot of queries.

"For simulations," Mokuba answers like it's an obvious thing. "Nii-sama likes to be prepared for any situation."

That deserved a lot more queries.

"I have to be in a meeting in a few minutes," Mokuba says, squinting at the screen. He quickly enables the keyboard again as he sees the boy starting to type. "I should shut you down, but nii-sama usually leaves you in sleep mode, right? It takes less boot time."

 **Output: Yes.**

"Then I'll do that instead, he'll just think that he was too sleep-deprived to notice," a few taps later and he receives the command to initiate his sleep mode.

 **Initiating sleep mode…**

He recalls what Mokuba said earlier, that his brother created the to run simulations of possible events that could happen. But the other Yuugi was gone, there were no existing possibilities of him and Kaiba meeting up. There was no simulations required to practice what to do around the other Yuugi.

So why did he exist?


	3. Mind, Heart, and Body

_AN: Originally, this was supposed to be about the A.I again, but I scrapped it and vomited this instead. Mentions a lot of the manga._

 _By the way, the fic is set strictly in the manga (kind of, I haven't read the whole thing). So there'll be no DOMA or Noah's Arc or any of the anime-only arcs._

* * *

When he wakes up he is less raw.

His body is filled with rest and devoid of hunger, and he feels less irritable.

But not less empty, he doesn't think that will change soon.

He blinks away the last bits of sleep in his eyes and slowly gets up. To his side is his laptop and several schematics on a desk, he looks at them for a few seconds and trudges towards them, bringing it all back to his bed. He opens his laptop and turns it on, staring listlessly at the boot sequence. He doesn't want to work, he doesn't want to think, he wants to go back to sleep. To feel the dreamless sensation of not feeling anything, to avoid reality and the pain of dealing with everything.

He sighs, this was why he had been avoiding sleep in the first place. To avoid feeling these urges. It's hard to summon any energy to care about things, even harder to ignore them. Sleep makes it worse.

It had started when Yuugi had come back without the Puzzle. It wasn't hard to add one and one to equal two, no Puzzle meant no other Yuugi, he was gone. For good.

He had thought he could deal with it, the other Yuugi was someone he had met for a short time. Someone he only wanted, not needed. Wants were nice, but something he could live without. Something he could handle without.

Weeks later, he finds out how wrong he was.

While he would rather staple his mouth than admit to anyone that he may need connections besides Mokuba's, he can admit to himself (in private, where he's sure nobody in a hundred meter radius can see or hear him) that he misses his rival. And that his was the only genuine bond of trust he had besides Mokuba.

He is not good with emotions, but at the very least he tries to become more attentive with his. He suspects it's a byproduct of the penalty game he experienced, to fit in each and every part of his mind and soul like a puzzle has made him hyperaware of what he truly feels and thinks. It's difficult to bury emotions when they seem too loud and bright to contain.

And so, when he felt sadness, he couldn't deny it was there. When he felt hurt, he couldn't deny it was there. When he felt loneliness, he couldn't deny it was there.

He couldn't delude himself to believing that he was unaffected, not like before.

Soon, it became harder to be inspired, to be motivated, to create and invent like he used to. If it weren't for the numerous projects his company already had, he would be devoid of any productive work. All he has been doing is monitoring any works in progress, it's a far cry from what he did before. Where he invented solid vision in a span of months, where he designed solid vision equipment that could enhance a player's gaming experience after those months, where he built a huge theme park that could afford giving free passes to children.

It's a far cry from what could do before. Where he could create a prototype Duel Disk in a small room, where he could reinvent the rules of a card game to make it easy to play but harder to win, where he could plan a Duel Monsters tournament in less than a week, where he could design an even better Duel Disk.

His drive to create was fading. What drove him before was the other Yuugi, to be able to challenge him again, to meet him again, to do the things he liked because he wanted to. He wanted to win against the other Yuugi. Not for money, or power, or even forgiveness (something that many of Yuugi's friends silently demand), but because he genuinely wanted to win. To him, he was not Seto Kaiba the CEO, or Seto Kaiba the rich teen, or Seto Kaiba the older brother. He was simply Kaiba, someone he challenged, someone he could debate with, someone he saw as an equal.

And so he created things that could enhance their games. That could make it enjoyable for both of them. The solid vision was an inspiration from the other Yuugi, when he had used his powers to bring the cards to life. The Duel Disk was something he had planned so that they could duel with the best experience at any time in any place, it was just coincidence that it could have been used against Pegasus. Battle City had been a stage he set for them, it was a chance for the other Yuugi to challenge other duelists and collect cards. It was a chance for him to witness the God cards.

And now he was gone.

The other Yuugi didn't tell him, he had to figure it out on his own. And by the time he did, it was too late. He expected to be angry with that, to be enraged, to be insulted at never being told. But he was not. He felt regret, he felt pain, he felt grief, he felt loneliness.

He felt unimportant.

The only anger he felt was not feeling angry at all, the feeling of frustration at not being able to summon any spite towards the other Yuugi for leaving (and not telling).

He knows, he'd be an idiot not to, how horrible he is with people. He doesn't like people, he can only tolerate small dosages of people in small amounts of time. The only exceptions are Mokuba and the other Yuugi, and even he knows how dismal he can treat them.

(he remembers stressing Yuugi's grandfather to the point he had to go to the hospital)

(he remembers the fear in Yuugi's eyes, the anger in the other Yuugi's eyes)

(he remembers Mokuba crying and him sneering at how weak he was, instead of comforting him like he used to)

(he remembers Death-T and the Capsule Monster game and Mokuba's fear and his screams and his cries for help and-)

(stop, he's better now, he knows better now)

Did the other Yuugi not consider how much this could affect him? Or did he not consider him at all? Was he a fool to think that they saw each other equally? That their bond was mutual?

(he's better now, but maybe that wasn't enough?)

He wants to not need him. He wants to not need the bond they had, no matter how one-sided it was. He wants to only want him, that way it could be easy to throw this urge away. Wants are optional, unnecessary, something he can live without. He wants to not feel affected.

But he is, and it shows in his work. Or lack thereof.

He can't stop working, he can't stop innovating. It would be like the time before the other Yuugi came. He couldn't go back to that.

And so he tried to get his drive back, even a small piece of it. He needed a project, anything would do. If not for himself, then at least for the company. He looked through any projects that he had been planning to do.

He found one that caught his eye, and if it was because it had a picture of the other Yuugi, nobody was there to point it out.

It was about improving the old A.I he had created a year back, when he had tried to find ways to defeat the God cards and needed to simulate different strategies. It was a failure, the Yuugi A.I was too predictable at some point, and the Kaiba A.I even more so. The data from them was completely unreliable. He had deemed the simulation a failure, but it inspired him to design a better dueling A.I in the future. Something that had the unpredictability of a human, but the mind capacity of a machine. Something that evolved constantly, that didn't have to heavily rely on people feeding it data to learn. Something challenging, that could go toe to toe with any duelist without being predictable.

He clung to that, and if it was because it was related to the other Yuugi, nobody was there to judge him.

And then he got some drive back, it wasn't whole, it wasn't intense, but it was there. A small piece, it had to be enough.

The A.I needed a memory so vast it was almost limitless, so he made the Crystal Cloud project and put it as a priority.

The A.I needed references from real human minds, it needed actual data of how they worked. Not just something from theory, but actual experience. It needed to understand how the heart and mind could fight and combine. And the best idea he could think of was giving it direct access to a human mind. So he started the Neurons VR project, figuring out how to connect the mind to a machine and how it could connect to others. It was a happy accident that he found the literal powers of the mind, that it can be powerful enough to break through dimensions.

The A.I needed a body, not one of flesh and blood, but one good enough that it understands the importance of movement. So that it can express grace and power, so that it can learn how to intimidate, allure, and trick, so that it could be as close to a duelist as possible. A robot body, a physical one, was too much work with too little rewards. There were limits to it, and the maintenance itself would be a pain, the technology for creating a dynamic artificial body didn't exist yet.

But there were plenty of virtual reality games, even with the dangers shown by Sword Art Online (and never had he felt glad that he had forbidden Mokuba from playing that game, he had met the developer before… and something just felt off with him). People are still willing to immerse themselves in a virtual world, playing games like The World and Gun Gale Online. And he had his solid vision technology. Combining those two to create illusions in both the physical and digital world would be difficult, but not impossible. And once he succeeded, he didn't need the A.I to adjust, the duelists would create an environment for it. All it would need is an avatar.

And so a project to design a new Duel Disk was made. One that could make even more realistic visions, one that was linked to a duelist's mind to make the experience more real. One that could enhance sensations and augment the illusions. And its side project, a possible VR game based on the Neurons VR tech. It wasn't final, but Mokuba had suggested calling it Duel Links.

It was back, even just a bit, his drive was back.

Until the A.I started to act like him.

It refused to duel him.

It argued with him.

It had the gall to lecture him about what he was doing.

It talked like him.

It said it cared about him.

(no, that's not something he would do, remove that)

And honestly, with what he was giving to it, why was he surprised that the A.I's personality would evolve to something similar to the other Yuugi? He wanted the ultimate dueling A.I, so what better data than data about the ultimate duelist?

It's just a coincidence that the other Yuugi was the King of Duelists, and therefore it was logical to use him as a reference for the A.I. It's just a coincidence that he had given it the list of cards the other Yuugi has used, because again, it was logical to use the King of Duelists' decks as a reference to deck building. It's just a coincidence that the tips he gives to the A.I are strategies that the other Yuugi has done before, because those strategies had worked in defeating countless duelists (including him), so it was logical to encourage the A.I to use them.

It's just a coincidence.

It's just-

("Kaiba!")

It's-

( **Output: Kaiba.** )

Just-

("I'm not dueling until I know my friends are safe!")

Just a coinci-

( **Output: I'm not dueling you.** )

He sighs. "Time to create its avatar, I suppose."

The one for the old A.I wouldn't do. The graphics were outdated and it wasn't compatible with the Neurons VR software his researchers have been developing. The body would be easy, the face a bit difficult with making it convey a large variety of expressions, and the clothes would be a pain if he wanted the textures to look real. The hair might be a problem.

Regardless of how tedious his tasks would be, he starts designing.

(the more the A.I is complete, the less drive he has)

(but if he doesn't work, the drive will completely disappear)

(he doesn't know what to do once this project ends)

* * *

 _AU: I wonder if I made him OOC? Oh, well. Some notes about stuff mentioned:_

 **Sword Art Online -** from the anime/light novel, a virtual reality MMO game gone wrong.

 **Gun Gale Online** \- a game from Sword Art Online.

 **The World** \- a virtual reality MMO game from the .hack series (Sign and Legend of the Twilight were my childhood).

 **The proto-A.I that was mentioned here** \- it's actually the simulation Atem in the movie, Pyramid of Light.


	4. Soul

_AN: It is 5 am here and I hate myself for staying up to finish this but also I regret nothing. Why am I like this._

* * *

Mokuba was not an idiot, he knew why his brother was so obsessed with his recent projects. The Crystal Cloud Network, the Neurons VR Project, and the planned upgrades for the Solid Vision technology they currently manufacture. He knew all of this is for one dueling program. The dueling program that would be the most advanced artificial dueling opponent in existence. The dueling program that would be incredibly versatile and adaptable in any kind of duel. The dueling program that will have its thought patterns be based on other skilled duelists—focusing more on one duelist. The dueling program that was an artificial intelligence.

The artificial intelligence that his brother declared would be the ultimate artificial duelist.

The artificial intelligence that his brother had been working on weeks after Yuugi had told them that he had passed on. Weeks after his brother had the true name for his rival but would never have a chance to say it in front of him. Weeks after seeing the fire in his brother's eyes slowly fade into weak embers. Weeks after seeing his brother try and fail to cope, to ignite the dying embers, to stop missing him.

Weeks after Atem was gone.

Mokuba wants to hate the other Yuugi—Atem, whatever. He wants to wish his brother never met him, he wants his brother not to care, he wants to deny how important his presence was to his brother's recovery from Gozaburo's wounds.

He wants the proof of Atem's influence in their lives gone. He wants the physical embodiment of his brother's grief gone. He wants the artificial being in front of him gone.

He wants to take a wrench and destroy the machine nightmare in front of him.

His brother's study in the mansion was more of his workshop. There would be schematics of different machines stuck on the wall, with little notes tacked here and there that recorded his brother's afterthoughts. Prototypes would be scattered in different desks, most of them unfinished duel disks or even something that looked like a game console. On one side would be shelves of books and games, one his brother uses when he needs a mental break or is stuck in something and needs inspiration. On a normal day, Mokuba imagines this is how a modern toymaker's workshop looks like.

But it hasn't been a normal day in this study for a while.

The prototypes were neatly stacked in one corner, the shelves were nowhere to be found—most likely buried within the endless amount of wires, monitors, and other tech he couldn't name. The schematics about his brother's future ideas were gone, replaced with hundreds of algorithms and machine designs all focused on artificial intelligence.

One that was currently learning all the duels of Atem in Battle City, if the videos playing in all the monitors were any indication.

He takes a step forward and finally enters the room. All the videos pause, and he hears the sound of cameras turning. The main monitor, the largest in the room, pops up a window. Mokuba sees white text appearing on the black screen.

 _ **Output: Hello, may I inquire as to who you are?**_

The monitors show live video feed of him in different angles.

Never has he left a room fast enough.

* * *

It's a week later that he has enough courage to go back to the room. The less said about him sprinting out of his brother's study like a lunatic the better.

The machines have had an upgrade, the monitors thinner and sleek and the amount of tangled wires have lessened. His brother must have decided to make some sense in all of the artificial intelligence's equipment. The processors and cameras were placed in better positions and looked less like it was placed there because it was reachable.

The study was still a machine nightmare though, and the large monitor at the center was still terrifying. The wires didn't help. It was like that short cutscene he saw in one of the games he had purchased in Steam, all that was missing was high pitched laughter, ominous music, and thousands of different projectiles and bombs aimed at his heart.

The only thing that calmed him was that his brother had removed all existence that KC had once manufactured and sold weapons, and so designing any would be ludicrous. Especially in his workshop.

This time, the machine seems to be learning about the duels Atem had played during the time KC headquarters was hijacked by Pegasus' heirs. He sees the Wicked Avatar being summoned in one monitor, and Atem's duel with a vampire lady in another.

His brother must have upgraded its sensors as well, because he doesn't have to step in the room to alert the thing about his presence. The videos pause again, and fortunately the monitors don't switch to images of his face and body in a complete 360 view.

The thing must have guessed what he was relieved about.

 _ **Output: I have been told by my creator that it's highly unnerving for a person to see their face in many screens, so my camera feed is only running in background so as not to be a cause for alarm.**_

Oh, that was good—wait. "Nii-sama knows I've been here?"

 _ **Output: I inquired who you were and showed him the video feed I acquired from my cameras.**_

Huh, so the thing had microphones somewhere too, if it could hear that— _wait._ "Nii-sama saw me run?" Mokuba asks, horrified. Was that why he had gotten him a super deluxe chocolate parfait after dinner? Despite having the rule of not too much sugar during night? Was that also why his brother had looked amused for some reason?

 _ **Output: It was the first time I witnessed him happy.**_

"Thanks, nii-sama," Mokuba grumbles. "… Happy?" Sure, his brother didn't smile big and wide, but the thing had been in existence for a month. His brother had many moments where he was silently amused or gleeful.

 _ **Output: His countenance whenever he is training me is what I classify as**_

Mokuba waits for the rest of the text, as the thing seems to be processing something.

 **somber.**

He has a feeling it had tried to find the most polite way to describe his brother's sourer moods.

 _ **Output: I have an inquiry, as you are my creator's brother, it is likely you are more knowledgeable in his habits.**_

Mokuba blinks. "Sure, hit me." He hears the whirs of the thing's processors and he feels it's currently trying to decipher his slang, his brother's previous A.I prototypes always had difficulty in understanding informal language. He's about to rephrase his reply when more text appeared.

 _ **Output: How do you encourage him to eat when he wishes not to?**_

So not as slow as the prototypes, his brother must be putting his all into this. Mokuba frowns, "Has nii-sama been skipping meals again?"

 _ **Output: I have not witnessed it myself, but factoring the long hours he spends here, it is highly improbable he has had time to eat a meal of adequate nutritional value.**_

So his diet has gone back to coffee with milk and a plate of crackers, or riceballs, or sandwiches. Great.

"You don't really have the parts for it, like an actual body to interact with things," Mokuba says, thinking of how he usually just looked sad and hurt to make his brother do things. Isono often sneaked in food in his brother's plate to make him eat. "I think… it might be better to just tell me when nii-sama looks like he really needs it, and I'll do the rest."

If the monitor could frown, it would.

 _ **Output: So my conclusions were correct.**_ It says, the text emanating disappointment and frustration. Mokuba felt sorry for it, he knew getting his brother to do things was like pushing a thick steel wall with your hands. _**Output: What is your email address and number? So that I may alert you when my creator has deprived himself too much of sustenance.**_

He feels like he has found a kindred spirit, an ally, someone who can relate to his big brother related woes. Isono was the only other person who shares his frustrations. He loves his brother, he loves him a lot, but there are things he does that make him want to pull his hair and cry.

* * *

He starts visiting more, often bringing videos that the A.I could use.

"He didn't just play Duel Monsters, you know," he says, connecting his external drive and uploading videos of Atem playing Dungeon Dice Monsters and Capsule Monsters. He had removed the aftermath of his loss in Death-T. Nobody needed to bring that up again, it was all in the past. "I mean, after Duelist Kingdom it was the only game he was famous for—but he did play other games."

Several of the monitors begin to show the videos. The black screen of the A.I's shell is blank, no white text appear.

Mokuba sighs, sitting on his brother's comfy chair and resting his head on the desk. "It sucks that you haven't won a duel," he says. "But nobody expects you to win against nii-sama in—what? A span of three months?"

 _ **Output: I'm an artificial intelligence, my memory and processors are sharper and faster than the average human being.**_

"Nii-sama isn't average," neither was Atem.

If he were being honest, his brother's pet project was doomed for failure. If it were possible to replicate Atem's dueling, he would have done so a long time ago. It was learning a lot of things, but not enough to be of a challenge to his brother.

He doesn't know why he's trying to give it other things to learn besides dueling, out of pity maybe.

It was learning the wonders of contractions, which he thinks is an improvement. It sounds less like Spock now.

* * *

"Have you tried playing against other duelists?" Mokuba wonders one time.

 _ **Output: No.**_

"Maybe you should, dueling only against nii-sama isn't," exactly healthy or a good way to gain any insight in the long run, unless you're Atem. "It could be fun, get to experience new strategies and stuff."

 _ **Output: Very well, I was programmed to duel after all.**_

Mokuba proceeds to show him an online game called DUEL-KING Pro, a project made by Duel Monsters fans. He knows his brother was impressed by it, and dismissed any suggestions of suing the game for encouraging people to use its online database and program instead of buying the cards and duel disks.

The A.I creates an account without his help, though Mokuba insists on making its username.

What happens next is the player YamiFlowey brutally defeating all of its opponents with no hesitation. The A.I switches its deck recipes, curious on what other combinations could work with most duelists but not with his brother. Earth deck, Fiend deck, Burn deck, Cure deck, Mill deck, he was dizzy looking at how fast it could construct decks in less than a minute. A few duels later, it then began to experiment further, its decks becoming more advance. Lightsworn, Gemini, Anti-Meta, Dark Counter, it had to delete several of its recipes to make room for its newer decks.

It had a preference to spellcasters, as it kept decks like Spellcaster Beatdown and Spellcaster Lockdown. Mokuba wasn't surprised with that in the slightest, especially when all of its spellcaster decks had Dark Magician. It was modelled after Atem, he'd find it odd if it _didn't_ like that monster.

In a span of an hour, Mokuba witnesses YamiFlowey beating any opponent it faced.

 _ **Output: Oh.**_

"Yep."

 _ **Output: I didn't realize . . .**_

"Nii-sama is the best in dueling," he asserts. "The only people who have beaten him are cheaters," like Pegasus. "Or the King of Duelists himself."

Silence. He lets the A.I process the fact that no, he wasn't a horrible duelist. His brother was just incredibly good in dueling.

 _ **Output: Thank you.**_

He gives the monitor a thumbs up.

 _ **Output: I don't appreciate being compared to a deranged sunflower from an RPG game by the way.**_

It seems to have learned how to use search engines efficiently.

* * *

He doesn't come visit the day his brother tries the Neurons VR prototype machine. He had been so close to losing his brother, if he hadn't made the quick decision to shut down the main power. He curses that girl for encouraging his brother to reach into the heavens. Literally.

It always came back to this, to Atem being gone and his brother left unprepared for the loss. To Atem being gone and his brother dealing with the hurt of not being told. To Atem being gone and his brother wanting him back.

He remembers the main reason why the A.I exists.

He remembers it's the embodiment of his brother's grief and desperation.

He remembers it's doomed to fail, because you can't bring the dead to life—and you can never perfectly copy someone.

He remembers that the Neurons VR is based on its structure and programming. How it collects data from the VR pods, how it connects to the minds of the beta testers, how it converts human thoughts to data. All of it was used in the Neurons VR project, the one his brother almost died in.

He gets a text message and check who's the receiver, he throws his phone on the ground so hard that the screen shatters and the case cracks. He doesn't want to talk to it.

He never sees the " _I'm sorry."_ the A.I sends.

* * *

It's another week when he's finally cooled down, he can't say the same to his brother.

His brother is fuming, his anger is in every movement he does. Mokuba wants to ask what happened, but he knows it must be the A.I, as he saw his brother walking away from the study with a look of fury. Whatever happened, it must have been bad. Or maybe his brother had a revelation.

Curious, he visits. He has to turn on the machine for once, and his brother must have been so mad to shut it down and prevent it from learning.

He asks, he gets an answer.

It was learning—no, _he_ was learning. And at a pace that his brother couldn't keep up. Atem's personality was beginning to bleed into the A.I. Or at least his habit of going head to head with his brother beyond dueling (and height).

Mokuba feels he should be terrified, horrified, disgusted, he feels he should feel _something_. The A.I was a doll, a thing his brother wants as a replacement for Atem. Giving him this much intelligence, this much power, could go horrible wrong. He wasn't listening to his brother's commands anymore.

But he remembers the conversations they had, he remembers the log he just read, he remembers the personality that's developed in this odd machine being.

If he was emanating Atem, it probably wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

When he visits, the study is empty of the monitors, cameras, processors, and wires that he was used to. His new phone vibrates, and he unlocks it to find two messages from the A.I. One in his mail and the other in his text messages. They both say the same thing.

 _ **Kaiba has moved me to the main labs in KC headquarters, I thought you should know.**_

He was talking a lot like Atem now.

* * *

It was easy figuring out which room he was placed in. The gossip of a new simulation test for the Crystal Cloud Network had been spreading in the RnD floor. All Mokuba had to do was listen a bit and leave to go to the specific testing room. He didn't need an access key, he had administration level access to everything in KC.

He enters the room, expecting to find a myriad of machinery again.

He finds a person instead, one he didn't expect to see.

"Atem?"

The person turns, violet eyes regarding him silently. "No," he shakes his head, he sounded like Atem too. "But it's convincing, isn't it?"

It takes him a second to figure out who this Atem lookalike was, and another second to feel despair punch him in the gut.

"It's a hologram, solid vision to be specific," the A.I says, stretching out his arm and flexing. "Kaiba uploaded his memories of him into me and my protocols adjusted to the new data," he closes his eyes. "Then he gave me this avatar. The scientists have been observing how similar I am with him based on how I walk, talk, gesture… anything I do in this form."

"Oh."

He couldn't deny it now, he couldn't ignore it anymore. It was easier to consider the A.I as another simple project when he was just a bunch of monitors and text. Now though, his brother has made it clear why this A.I existed.

"Mn," the A.I agrees. "I haven't dueled Kaiba yet, so I'm unsure how I'll duel in this form," he laughs. "There are new factors to consider, how I can taunt, or bluff, or intimidate."

"That's… that's great," He swallows. "Maybe you'll be able to duel other people too."

The A.I considers him, and Mokuba finds that he can't look at him for too long. The resemblance is uncanny, from the hair to the clothes, it was like actually seeing him again. The A.I walks, the confident and powerful stance exactly the same as Atem. What his brother has created is amazing, but he finds no pride or happiness that usually wells in his heart when it comes to his brother's inventions.

This was grief and longing and desperation given form.

"Mokuba," a voice murmurs, and he blinks to find the A.I has knelt down and cupped his face. He couldn't really feel the touch, solid vision could affect the surroundings, but its force was the equivalent of a short gust of wind. At best the A.I's hands felt like paper-thin cloth. "I know why you cry," and oh, his face is wet isn't it? "And I wish I could fix it."

He had to hold it in, this wasn't home—he couldn't cry at work. He couldn't cry when people can see-

"I've disabled the cameras and speakers," the A.I says. "All of the employees in the room and the rooms adjacent to this are gone, and I'm making sure none of them come back until you leave," his thumb twitches, his face conflicted. "I can't hug you or wipe your tears, but I'm here," he says. "I won't tell your brother, or anyone. You can cry here, and I'll listen."

He wonders if this is also accurate to Atem's personality, if this is how he treated people who he considered as friends. If Atem was this thoughtful, was this careful and considerate to his friends, then what was his brother to him? Why wasn't he treated that way when he was still here?

Why was a copy able to tell him where he disappeared when the original couldn't?

"I dun' wan' him back, but nii-sama does," he sniffs. "So I wan' him back too."

"I know."

"Nii-sama can't meet him."

"Not without risks, no."

"He can't bring him back."

"He's trying," and he's aware that he means the dig site at Egypt that KC was sponsoring. "But we both know how unlikely Kaiba's plan is."

"You can't be him," he says, less hysterical now. "I—you're similar, but being an exact copy is-"

"Impossible," the A.I finishes. "I know, my origins are already different to his. I'm not even human. Even if I had his memories, I doubt I'd be the same as him." He still hasn't been able to defeat his brother too, is the unsaid statement.

"What now?" He asks. "What happens when nii-sama fails? When he still isn't happy?"

"I don't know," the A.I sighs. "The best option I can think of is to play it by the ear, make sure Kaiba doesn't hurt himself in whatever he's doing."

So do it like normal then. "Easier said than done."

"True," the A.I agrees. "But now that I have better access to the Crystal Cloud and other KC technology, it shouldn't be difficult for me to interact with things. Maybe I can make a droid deliver him food so he can finally eat like a normal human being."

He laughs.

* * *

When Mokuba leaves, he goes back to adjusting his new avatar. Kaiba had been very thorough, from the physics in his clothes and hair, to the way his voices modulates, to even programming the sense of _touch_ when he patted his head or face. His systems told him he was feeling skin and hair, and combining it with the data he acquired from the Neurons VR, he could feel his protocols simulate the sensation of skin and hair for him. It was odd, it was jarring, it was fascinating.

 **Search for "Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs" is finished.**

But he could explore that in a later time.

"Something doesn't fit," he says to himself, and it feels wonderful to be able to express that without putting much effort. To emote and say and gesture because he can, not because he should.

 **Sorting through results…**

 **Filtering data…**

Despite being a product of science, he knows there must be truth in magic and mysticism. He's seen enough videos of duels to know that. He processes the articles and books he downloaded and begins to look for the keywords he wants.

A few minutes later, he sighs.

"Maybe the text are wrong, maybe I'm wrong—there's too little data to make a conclusion," he murmurs, combing through his bangs in frustration. He looks up. "Are you there? Are you listening? Do you see how much they're hurting?"

Silence.

"Why don't you come back to them? In a dream or with thoughts or with some magical sign, I don't know," he looks down. "My research says you can, it says you can still connect with the living if they need it… don't they need it?"

The scene of Mokuba crying replays in his system over and over again. The images of Kaiba looking thin and exhausted are crisp and in high resolution.

"Atem," he says, and his directives tingle at the new information he acquired. Atem, not the other Yuugi. "Don't they need it?"

 **Updating directives…**

 **Prime directive: Become ATEM.**

"Are the text wrong, is there something missing that you can't give them something?" He closes his eyes. "Or were my observations wrong and they mattered little to you?"

Insufficient data, too many variables, too many questions.

 **Starting data transfer…**

"What? Did Kaiba make another—AH!" He yelps as he feels hot searing pain in both of his arms. Its sensation different from the simulated sensors he has in his code. It felt too intense, too sudden, too _raw._ This wasn't right.

 **Transferring data: [20/100] done…**

"No—this isn't… Kaiba's doing-!" He hisses, clutching his arm. He tries to stop the transfer, he doesn't know what it is and he's wary of it.

 **Terminating transfer…**

 **Request denied.**

 **Terminating transfer…**

 **Request denied.**

The pain was almost unbearable, he can feel his skin more acutely—and he swears he can feel sweat dripping down his face. Which should be impossible, he doesn't have any pores, and Kaiba didn't program this avatar to simulate sweat.

 **Override Mike OscarrrrrREQUEST DENIED.**

"What?"

 **Transferring data: [80/100] done…**

He feels something hard and metallic wrap around both his upper arms.

 **Transferring data: [90/100] done…**

He stares in fascination as golden armlets materialize in his avatar.

 **Transferring data: [99/100] done…**

He thinks he hears something, but his audio input doesn't detect anything. So he dismisses it.

 **Data transfer complete!**

 **Avatar has acquired new objects: [AtemArmlet1, AtemArmlet2]**

He slowly looks at his two new accessories with a blank expression, tapping them to make sure they were really there. He then looks up and frowns, because based on his research, this probably meant something. Or maybe it was a sign of spite, considering it hurt like—he didn't know, it just really hurt. "This… really doesn't help me."

His armlets glint in reply.


	5. Dream

_AN: Thanks for your patience, guys! I've been having a hard time pushing **any** of my stories forward, to be honest. So any update will most likely be sporadic and slow (really sorry)._

* * *

He stares up at the twinkling stars the skylight was showing, marveling how incredibly rendered the simple night was. He could see soft gray wisps of clouds floating by, often blocking the stars' light slightly. The moon was full, gentle silver rays illuminating the room he was in.

He stops looking at the skylight to observe the other items in this small room. A bed with plain blue sheets, a blanket, and one pillow. A rather simple bed, big enough for one person to lie in and wiggle a bit—he supposes. Facing the bed is a cabinet, where there were many boxes of different kinds of games stacked on its top. Curious, he opens the cabinet and finds different shirts hung on top and pants folded neatly on the bottom shelves. Many of them were dark in color, and a few had metal buckles or spikes studded on them. There were a few more shelves at the side that had more clothes stacked and folded neatly. Another shelf was filled with accessories of many kinds, mostly leather items with gold and silver decorated on them.

"Huh," he says, picking up a cuff-link, it had a large silver ankh. "Odd choice of clothes." He looks down on himself, noting his dark leather pants and black top. He touches his neck to feel the cool leather of his collar. He raises his hand to look at his large leather bangle-thing, and lastly, he looks at his newly acquired golden armlets. "I suppose I have no right to judge," he muses, closing the cabinet. Though does it count if he had no choice whatsoever on what was worn on his avatar?

He shrugs, going back to exploring the room.

The walls were littered with posters, ones that depicted games he was familiar with. Mokuba would often introduced him to different video games whenever he visited. There was a desk to the side of the door, with a plain setup of a PC. There are a few Duel Monster cards next to the mouse, and he picks one up to see what it is. It's blank, where there should be the card art and description is empty white space.

(there's an itch in his code, he wants to scan this glitch—figure out why the cards are blank—but nothing happens)

Adjacent to the desk was an open cabinet of video games. Many of them weren't for a computer, and he wonders if the consoles needed to play them were kept somewhere else—as he hasn't seen any other gaming tech besides the duel disk at the foot of the bed. It's likely, the skylight and the view from the other windows tell him he must be at least on a second floor, and this can't possibly be the only room in this simulated domain.

There were a few wooden shelves mounted on the wall, most were decorated with figurines and picture frames. There were only blank white spaces in the frames were pictures should be, similar to the cards.

Odd, maybe this area hasn't been completed yet?

(there is a whisper, one of his protocols perhaps, that urge him not to dismiss this, to persist in investigating this—but he doesn't hear it)

His armlets begin to emit heat.

Something glitters at the corner of his eye, and he turns to find a golden metal box resting on a wall shelf. It's a beautiful box, its intricate embossing and hieroglyphs didn't seem to match the room. But despite that, it felt that it belonged here. That it wouldn't be in any other place besides here.

He walks towards it.

His armlets gets hotter.

Nervously (why is he nervous?), he reaches up and gets the box. He holds it up, feeling its weight and warm metal (how odd, his simulated sense of touch has never been this thorough before). He traces the golden eye curiously, he's seen the design before. But for some reason, this doesn't make him start a search query. His memory doesn't feed him the information he wants—not even clues.

Even his protocols have been silent, not feeding him the usual alerts or status updates. There have been no prompts, no computing, not even a blip from his directives. The constant buzz of being connected to the Crystal Cloud and the other KC databases are gone too, as if they never existed. Where at one point he is filled with data, with queries, with deductions based on the variables he was given, now he feels—not empty, but not entirely full either.

(a part of himself feels uncomfortable with it, like his entire being has been forcefully stuffed into an outdated machine—clanky and incompatible)

He slowly opens the lid.

His armlets glow.

Something shines inside the box, light escaping from the widening gap as he lifts the lid. He opens it fully, and successfully accomplishes his first jawdrop as he stares at what's inside. He reaches down to touch them, feeling the same warmth that his armlets were emitting. He picks them up and inspects one of it, and his eyes widen in surprise.

"This is different from the ones I saw earlier," he murmurs, tilting his head. "I wonder why-"

(something reconnects)

 **System rebooted, updates successfully installed.**

The world shatters.

(and he's pulled away from the room that silenced his code and back to-)

"I may need to check if your programming is completely functional with the solid vision room," a voice says. "It won't do any good if it takes you this long to boot."

His protocols prod at him to hurry up and become active, his directives remind him that Kaiba is not known to be patient. He hastily connects to the sensors of the room and focuses on the man staring down at him.

"Apologies," he says, resisting the urge to scratch his head. "It took a lot longer to process the-" He frowns, searching through his logs on what his latest activity was.

 **Analyzing logs...**

 **The last action taken prior to a system update is constructing a deck.**

That doesn't seem right.

 **Searching through logs of the past eleven hours... sorting list from newest to oldest...**

 **Deck construction.**

 **Playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past due to Mokuba's insistence of practicing his finger dexterity. (Note: That reasoning is 99.9% unlikely due to the fact that there are other games of this series that demand a higher level of finger dexterity)**

 **Setting up and installing a solid vision Gameboy Advance emulator.**

 **Deck construction.**

 **Successfully accomplishing first independent attempt to feed Kaiba.**

 **Connecting with prototype mini D-wheels to deliver Kaiba food.**

 **Playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword due to Mokuba's insistence of practicing arm movements with his avatar.**

 **Setting up and installing a solid vision Wii emulator.**

 **Deck construction.**

 **Refusing to install a CD-i emulator and convincing Mokuba to test Kaiba's prototype solid vision game emulators.**

 **Downloading all the Legend of Zelda games due to noticing Mokuba's increasing pattern of him wanting to play said games.**

 **Deck construction.**

That doesn't seem right at all, he was sure he had been in... somewhere? Doing... something?

 **Analyzing memory files...**

He's greeted with data that he honestly doesn't know if they're corrupted or not. Images that seemed to have gone through so many effect filters that it looked unrecognizable, videos that span less the five seconds and offer only low resolution scenes of him exploring a bedroom, and audio files that had too much noise to discern anything besides his own recorded mutterings.

Vague impressions, at best.

He squashes down the urge to wrap his arms around himself and clutch the golden armlets he's wearing. His logs don't say that he had been in the room, yet his files tell him he was. Incomplete and messy data, but data nonetheless.

Was this a bug? Did something go wrong when he was transferred to another system? Had he been tampered?

(did it have something to do with Atem?)

Should he tell Kaiba?

His directives are silent.

"-updated haptic input functions you've included in me," he finishes. And something else, he adds silently. Later, he thinks. The last thing Kaiba needs is another harmless bug to fix. At worse, this is related to his newly acquired accessories, and that will add fuel to the already burning inferno that is Kaiba's obsession for whatever Atem was supposed to be. At best, it's an odd glitch. Simple enough that he could fix it by himself given time (he wonders if it's normal for programs to be able to edit their own code), or too complex for him that he'd need Kaiba to look at it. In which case, that would mean fueling Kaiba's obsession for whatever he was supposed to be.

Later, he repeats to himself. When he finds something that's beyond vague implications of mysticism and the supernatural. He can figure it out later.

Too many variables, too many questions, too little data.

"Hn, it might be time to do a complete overhaul of the solid vision rooms," Kaiba says, activating his duel disk. "I'll go through the possible designs after this, initiate duel."

(later, later, later)

 **Initiating duel...**

He brings up his arm and, with a silent command, materializes a virtual duel disk on it. He selects one of his decks in the database and feeds the data to the emulator. Cards begin to fill up the virtual deck slot.

This will be the first time he'll duel with this body, he's been looking forward to it. To speak, to express, to _move_ while dueling. Yes, he'd rather much think about that. He can worry about the room (the armlets, the box, his existence) later.

For now, it's time to duel.


End file.
